1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an apparatus and method for forming an image and, more particularly, to an apparatus and method for forming an image by causing ink to jump from a thin layer of conductive ink held on an ink holding member in accordance with an electrostatic latent image on a latent image carrying member or with a recording voltage applied to a recording electrode and attaching the ink indirectly or directly to a recording medium.
2. Description of Related Art
There has conventionally been known an apparatus which forms an image by causing ink drops to jump, under a Coulomb's force, from a thin layer of conductive ink formed on an ink holding member to an electrostatic latent image on a latent image carrying member, developing the electrostatic latent image with the ink drops, and transferring an ink image formed by the development to a recording medium such as a sheet of paper.
In the image forming apparatus of this type, it is extremely important for the formation of a high-resolution image to reduce the size of an ink drop which jumps from the ink holding member toward the latent image carrying member and thereby reduce the diameter of a dot on the latent image carrying member and on the recording medium.